So this is what it's like to be a backpacker then?!

There is food on that table...somewhere!
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Our accommodation was simple yet brilliant! It looked like part of a little cottage complete with an old-fashioned wooden door.

After having a little rest we decided to check out our surroundings and introduce ourselves to our fellow backpackers. The latter was a lot easier than it sounds!

That wasn't the only culture shock though, more like the first of many!

The common area with the kitchen & tv room etc was huge and really clean as were the toilet & shower facilities and after getting our bearings we overheard a few conversations between different groups of people. Within an hour we had distinguished that our neighbours spoke either spanish, portugeuse, swedish or french and we still hadn't heard a single word of English uttered! We were told that we were entering a multi-cultural society but no-one prepared us for this!!

That wasn't the only culture shock though, more like the first of many! Apparently cooking utensils such as frying pans, bowls, spoons etc are gold dust! If you have one, hide it! And as for the expectation of backpackers surviving on a diet of instant noodles and beer, well we were half right! Beer is a prerequisite if you are having a meal in backpacker accommodation but we have never eaten as well as we did amongst fellow backpackers, spicy nacho night anyone? Or how about some freshly baked scones on demand?!

Everyone who knows Steve will know how much he worships television. It took him a while to adjust to sharing a TV with twenty-something other people!

And finally, we discovered that whilst backpacking, privacy is a luxury and not a right! Lorraine still hasn't adjusted to having to put on a jacket if you want to go to the toilet!